Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alton, IL and Nosara

For one person, living costs are similar in Alton, IL and in Nosara: $1,895 and $1,835 a month, rent and utilities included.

92

Cost of Living Index in Alton, IL
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Alton, IL Living Index
89

Cost of Living Index in Nosara
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Nosara Living Index

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Alton, IL

🇺🇸 United States

$1,895

/mo nomad

Nosara

🇨🇷 Costa Rica

$1,835

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Alton, IL and in Nosara

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Alton, IL and in Nosara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,895 per month in Alton, IL vs $1,835 in Nosara, rent included.

Alton, IL $1,895
Nosara $1,835

A couple spends around $2,862 per month in Alton, IL vs $2,825 in Nosara, rent included.

Alton, IL $2,862
Nosara $2,825

A family of three spends $3,829 per month in Alton, IL vs $3,814 in Nosara, rent included.

Alton, IL $3,829
Nosara $3,814

Alton, IL costs about 3% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Alton, IL and Nosara sit above the global median – Alton, IL by 40%, Nosara by 35%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$12.34 ₡5,535

68.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.6 $55.6

$61.3 ₡27.5K

-9.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.17 $11.17

$7.76 ₡3,481

43.94%

Cappuccino

$4.95 $4.95

$4.44 ₡1,992

11.49%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.79 ₡803

-18.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.29 ₡580

34.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.24 ₡1,451

20.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.88 $5.88

$4.43 ₡1,985

32.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.81 $0.81

$1.55 ₡696

-47.74%

White Bread (500g)

$2.59 $2.59

$3.08 ₡1,380

-15.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 $3.13

$2.53 ₡1,133

23.72%

Eggs

$3.16 $3.16

$3.45 ₡1,546

-8.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.32 $9.32

$7.32 ₡3,284

27.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.74 $6.74

$10.24 ₡4,594

-34.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.42 $23.42

$14.10 ₡6,326

66.10%

Apples (1kg)

$4.26 $4.26

$2.29 ₡1,027

86.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 $1.18

$1.64 ₡737

-28.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.18 $5.18

$4.79 ₡2,149

8.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$1.64 ₡735

198.17%

Potato (1kg)

$2.21 $2.21

$3.85 ₡1,727

-42.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.74 $2.74

$3.75 ₡1,681

-26.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.10 $2.10

$1.09 ₡488

92.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$2.59 ₡1,160

-18.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.08 $11.08

$5.12 ₡2,295

116.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.05 $12.05

$19.92 ₡8,931

-39.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 $1.83

$2.80 ₡1,255

-34.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 $2.67

$3.52 ₡1,580

-24.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 ₡549

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$73.9 ₡33.1K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.96 $2.96

$2.17 ₡973

36.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.69 $1.69

$1.56 ₡698

8.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.67 ₡3,886

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.55 ₡697

-36.77%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K $27.9K

$34.5K ₡15.5M

-19.36%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.0K $26.0K

$38.7K ₡17.4M

-32.92%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$331 $331

$94.8 ₡42.5K

249.23%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$43.44 $43.44

$36.15 ₡16.2K

20.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$77.7 $77.7

$53.1 ₡23.8K

46.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.07 $27.07

$73.8 ₡33.1K

-63.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.63 ₡16.0K

Cinema Ticket

$11.95 $11.95

$7.91 ₡3,548

51.07%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$279 $279

$490 ₡219.9K

-43.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K ₡5.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$40.36 $40.36

$54.8 ₡24.6K

-26.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.75 $42.75

$55.9 ₡25.1K

-23.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$65.4 $65.4

$80.4 ₡36.0K

-18.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$76.1 $76.1

$77.9 ₡34.9K

-2.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 $763

$801 ₡359.1K

-4.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 $627

$790 ₡354.1K

-20.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,099 $1,099

$4,005 ₡1.8M

-72.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,275 $1,275

$1,409 ₡632.0K

-9.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,513 $1,513

$7,064 ₡3.2M

-78.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,455 $1,455

$1,236 ₡554.3K

17.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,813 $3,813

$887 ₡397.6K

330.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.62

-30.39%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Alton, IL: October 18, 2026

Last update for Nosara: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Alton, IL

$627 33.1%

Nosara

$790 43% 26% $163

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alton, IL

$452 23.9%

Nosara

$184 10% 59.3% $268

Groceries & Markets

Alton, IL

$349 18.4%

Nosara

$350 19.1% 0.2% $0.7

Eating Out

Alton, IL

$303 16%

Nosara

$213 11.6% 29.8% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Alton, IL

$101 5.3%

Nosara

$121 6.6% 19.8% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Alton, IL

$51 2.7%

Nosara

$90 4.9% 75.8% $39

Getting Around

Alton, IL

$11 * 0.6%

Nosara

$89 4.8% 676% $77

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $763 in Alton, IL versus $801 in Nosara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 330% higher in Alton, IL, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $56.0 in Alton, IL versus $61.0 in Nosara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $349 vs $350 – making Alton, IL the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Alton, IL

🇨🇷 Nosara

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

13:25 1:25 PM

1 h behind Alton, IL

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,676

4,912

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Costa Rican Colón CRC ₡

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD

1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CRC, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇨🇷 Costa Rican Colón (₡)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Costa Rican Colón exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 448 CRC (1,000 CRC = 2.23 USD). 1 EUR = 504 CRC (1,000 CRC = 1.98 EUR).

CRC to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Alton, IL Nosara 3,250 km ≈ 4 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Alton, IL
Nosara

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Alton, IL vs Nosara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alton, IL costs about 3% more than Nosara, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,842 per month in Alton, IL and $2,753 in Nosara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nosara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,895 in Alton, IL and $1,835 in Nosara. That's a gap of about 3%.

Kindergarten costs $279 per month in Alton, IL and $490 in Nosara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $3,000 monthly budget goes further in Nosara, where all-in costs run around $1,835, than in Alton, IL at $1,895. In Nosara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Alton, IL it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nosara costs $1,835 versus $1,895 in Alton, IL. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Nosara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Alton, IL makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.